Private 'drunk tanks' proposed

Special "drunk tanks" should be used to look after intoxicated people who are incapable of looking after themselves, instead of police and NHS, a chief constable has said. Drunk people would be charged for the service when they had sobered up.

Chief Constable Adrian Lee says drunken and disorderly behaviour has become too common and we have become "too tolerant" to offenders who take up valuable police and health resources, as Dan Rivers reports.

[A chief constable has called for special "drunk tanks" to look after intoxicated people instead of the NHS or police]((http://www.itv.com/news/update/2013-09-18/put-very-intoxicated-in-drunk-tanks-says-police-chief/).

We asked our Facebook followers whether they agreed with the new "drunk tank" proposals, here is a selection of their comments.

Other countries have drunk tanks/hostels. If you are in such a state you cannot look after yourself and there are no friends to take you home, you are put there and have to pay in the morning. Think it's a great idea.

– Joanne Lord

It won't stop alcoholism, they won't be able to afford to pay - then they'll be taken to court and huge amounts of taxpayers money will be wasted to try and get the money back. Small repayments will be agreed - meanwhile the following weekend the drunk goes out again and gets into the same state - pointless exercise.

– Kaz Langley

Great idea, I have been working as club security for over 10 years and I know about other countries doing this. 1, It would free up police. 2, People will learn from being sent to the drunk tank and being fined. It's ok to have a good night out but not to the point of how some people get.

The policeman behind the proposed privately-run "drunk tanks" is encouraging the public to make their views on the idea heard.

Speaking to Daybreak, Chief Constable Adrian Lee said: "We have seen a huge cultural change in terms of drink drive. Can we see a similar cultural change about people's attitude towards irresponsible drinking?"

He added: "It is the public's view that I am very interested in hearing."

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The Government has thrown some support behind the campaign for privately-run drunk tanks used being used to house people so inebriated they can no longer look after themselves.

Crime prevention minister Jeremy Browne said "drunken behaviour" had turned some places into "no-go areas for law abiding people".

I welcome this campaign to raise awareness of the impact of alcohol-fuelled crime, which costs around £11 billion a year in England and Wales.

Frontline police officers are all too aware of the drunken behaviour and alcohol-fuelled disorder that can effectively turn towns and cities into no-go areas for law-abiding people, particularly on Friday and Saturday nights.

Drinkers who are incapable of looking after themselves should be put in privately-run drunk tanks, a police chief has said. Credit: PA

Drunken public disorder has become so bad privately-run drunk tanks should be considered as a way of tackling soaring levels of alcohol fuelled crime, a police chief has said.

Chief Constable Adrian Lee, the national policing lead on alcohol harm, did "not see why" police and health services should clean up after "someone who has chosen to go out and get so drunk that they cannot look after themselves".

He suggested taking intoxicated revellers to "a drunk cell" owned by a commercial company with staff trained in dealing with excessively drunk people and charge them in the morning.

His comments come amid a Government-wide review of all contracts held by Serco and G4S, two of the country's biggest private providers of public services.